octameter

[ ok-tam-i-ter ]

/ ɒkˈtæm ɪ tər /

Prosody

Save This Word!

adjective

consisting of eight measures or feet.

noun

Also octometer. an octameter verse.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of octameter

1840–50; <Late Latin <Greek oktámetros (adj.), equivalent to okta-octa- + métr(on) -meter + -os adj. suffix

Words nearby octameter

octahedron, octal, octal notation, octamer, octamerous, octameter, octan, octandrious, octane, octanedioic acid, octane number

How to use octameter in a sentence

Verses of seven and eight feet are rare; they are called heptameter and octameter, respectively.
English: Composition and Literature|W. F. (William Franklin) Webster
The heptameter is usually divided into a tetrameter and a trimeter; the octameter, into two tetrameters.
English: Composition and Literature|W. F. (William Franklin) Webster

British Dictionary definitions for octameter

octameter

/ (ɒkˈtæmɪtə) /

noun

prosody a verse line consisting of eight metrical feet

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012